Nigerian miners at the weekend urged the federal government to ban the importation of gypsum, granite and other minerals in which the country had comparative advantage.

The miners made the call at a stakeholders' forum organized by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development for the Northeast Zone in Bauchi, the capital of Nigeria's northeastern state of Bauchi.

John Daji, chairman of the Nigerian Association of Gypsum Miners in the northeast of the country, said "Nigeria has a large deposit of gypsum and granite that can sufficiently meet local and export demands."

Daji said the indiscriminate importation of the minerals had forced many indigenous mining companies to close shops. About 113 small-scale mining companies involved in the exploration and processing of gypsum in the zone were operating with loss, he added.

"Our products, due to the method of production, are far more expensive than the imported ones. We are gradually being edged out of the market," Daji said.

He added that the small-scale companies which provide jobs needed government's protection through import restrictions.

Solid Minerals Development Minister Leslye Obiora assured the miners of the government's determination to support and encourage local industries to compete with their international counterparts.

Obiora noted that the nation's endowment in solid minerals was strategic for the development of the country.

She said the government had put in place a framework that would enhance the ability of the sector to contribute to wealth creation, job generation and poverty reduction.

Source: Xinhua